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Somali pirates seize Russian tanker
AFP on Yahoo ^ | 5/5/10 | AFP

Posted on 05/05/2010 9:01:41 AM PDT by NormsRevenge

MOMBASA, Kenya (AFP) – Somali pirates seized control of an oil-laden Russian tanker in the Gulf of Aden early Wednesday, setting up a high-seas standoff with a Russian destroyer steaming to the zone.

The 230-metre (755 foot)-long Moscow University was heading east from the Gulf of Aden early Wednesday when it was boarded by pirates around 350 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast, the EU anti-piracy mission said.

The ship's Russian operator said the tanker had been on its way to China from the Red Sea with 86,000 tonnes of crude oil, believed to be worth around 50 million dollars.

The anti-piracy mission NAVFOR said the Marshal Shaposhnikov, a large Russian warship with two helicopters and an infantry unit aboard, was rushing to the hijack zone. The warship is part of the Russian fleet deployment to the international task force.

The 23 all-Russian crew of the Moscow University were unharmed, the ship's operators Novoship said.

"According to the latest information received from the master none of the 23 seafarers on board have been hurt, the vessel and the cargo sustained no damage," said Novoship, adding that communications with the vessel had been cut at 0450 GMT.

It said the attack began around 50 minutes earlier when the pirates opened fire and tried to board the vessel. The captain managed to inform naval forces in the region before his radio was silenced.

A company spokesman said later Wednesday that the pirates had yet to make a ransom demand. "No aggressor has made contact with us since the attack. No claims have been made," the Interfax news agency quoted the spokesman as saying.

...

Armed with AK-47s and grenade launchers, GPS navigation and satellite phones, pirates raked in an estimated 60 million dollars in ransoms last year.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Russia
KEYWORDS: navfor; pirates; russian; somali; tanker
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To: C19fan

I sure hope they do!


41 posted on 05/05/2010 9:30:30 AM PDT by Little Ray (The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!)
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To: WOBBLY BOB

“I’m guessing the Russians don’t Mirandize pirates.”

Their rights will be explained to them very clearly.


42 posted on 05/05/2010 9:30:48 AM PDT by The Antiyuppie ("When small men cast long shadows, then it is very late in the day.")
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To: 1rudeboy

Haven’t been keeping up? It’s been catch and release since then.


43 posted on 05/05/2010 9:30:59 AM PDT by Domandred (Fdisk, format, and reinstall the entire .gov system.)
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To: Domandred

I was simply wondering why people are acting as though they’ve forgotten, and thinking Vlady is going to “teach” us anything.


44 posted on 05/05/2010 9:32:41 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: NavyCanDo

Neah.
Plenty of yardarms - just not enough testicular fortitude to hang pirates or burn their bases to the ground.


45 posted on 05/05/2010 9:32:47 AM PDT by Little Ray (The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!)
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To: Walkingfeather

It wasn’t just ANY body parts!


46 posted on 05/05/2010 9:35:25 AM PDT by massgopguy (I owe everything to George Bailey)
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To: OldDeckHand
This won't end until naval forces start sending pirates home in body bags, after execution on the fantail. Barbarism should be treated barbarically. It's the only language the Somali's understand, or respect.

May I respectfully disagree? Executing individual pirates may not be effective.

Some years back kidnapping foreign diplomats was pretty popular in the ME.

Then the idjits kidnapped a Soviet diplomat.

The kidnappers got off scott-free, but decided releasing the diplomat with something akin to an apology was a really good idea after shredded family members started showing up in garbage bags on their doorsteps.

Hasn't been a Russian diplomat kidnapped since.

A punk kidnapper might be willing to risk his own wretched life for a fortune beyond his innumerate counting, but the certainty of his entire village being burned to the ground along with everything and everyone he hold dear just might give him pause.

47 posted on 05/05/2010 9:38:42 AM PDT by null and void (We are now in day 468 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
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To: dfwgator

LMAO!!!

They sure do a lot of stuff that “looks” cool.


48 posted on 05/05/2010 9:42:08 AM PDT by EricT. (Can we start hanging them yet?)
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To: null and void
Some years back kidnapping foreign diplomats was pretty popular in the ME.

The Russian diplomats were kidnapped/killed in Baghdad, and there was a war going on.

49 posted on 05/05/2010 9:46:11 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder
"Maybe we’re in for a teachable moment here."

I predict many body bags will be needed very soon!

50 posted on 05/05/2010 9:47:30 AM PDT by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the next one...)
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To: Mad Dawgg

“Maybe we’re in for a teachable moment here.”

PAY ATTENTION OBAMA!!!!


51 posted on 05/05/2010 9:56:06 AM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway
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To: Mr. Lucky

This is incredibly sad. I just cannot believe we need to look to the Russians and the Chinese for tips on how to deal with these scum.

Sad.


52 posted on 05/05/2010 9:56:09 AM PDT by rlmorel (We are traveling "The Road to Serfdom".)
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To: 1rudeboy
"Back in the 1980s, for example, Islamic terrorists in Lebanon kidnapped a Russian diplomat. The Russians (then the Soviets, a distinction without much difference in these matters) quickly found out which faction had their guy, kidnapped a relative of one of the kidnappers, and had a body part delivered to the Islamic kidnappers. The message was, release the Russian diplomat unharmed, or the KGB (Soviet secret police) would keep sending body parts, and grabbing kinfolk of the kidnappers. The Russian diplomat was released. Apparently that lesson has been forgotten, at least in some parts of Iraq"

Source here and scores of other places for anyone able to do a web search.

Just because you are too young to remember it doesn't mean it didn't happen...

53 posted on 05/05/2010 9:56:35 AM PDT by null and void (We are now in day 468 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
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To: dfwgator

I am soooo stealing that one!


54 posted on 05/05/2010 9:57:30 AM PDT by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the next one...)
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To: rlmorel

This is incredibly sad. I just cannot believe we need to look to the Russians and the Chinese for tips on how to deal with these scum.

We have the best but they have been de-balled by liberals....


55 posted on 05/05/2010 9:57:45 AM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway
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To: The Antiyuppie
“I’m guessing the Russians don’t Mirandize pirates.”

No, but they will homogenize them.

56 posted on 05/05/2010 9:58:19 AM PDT by Redleg Duke (RAT Hunting Season started the evening of March 21st, 2010!)
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To: 1rudeboy; BlueLancer

200 years from now, I want their children’s children’s children’s children
to cower and cringe in fear whenever they hear the sounds of jet engines overhead
because their legends tell of fire from the sky.

I want them to hide in dark caves and holes in the earth,
shivering with terror whenever they hear the roar of diesel engines
because the tales of their ancestors talk about metal monsters
crawling over the earth, spitting death and destruction.

I want their mothers to be able to admonish them with
“If you don’t behave, the Pale Destroyers will come for you”,
and that will be enough to reduce them to quivering obesience.

I want the annihilation to be so complete that their mythology
will tell them of the day of judgment when the stern gods from across the sea
.. the powerful ‘Mericans .. destroyed their forefathers’ wickedness.

(Original created by BlueLancer ... 13 September 2001)


57 posted on 05/05/2010 9:59:13 AM PDT by null and void (We are now in day 468 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
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To: sickoflibs; 1rudeboy
Also referred to in the article:

EU NAVFOR Somalia

58 posted on 05/05/2010 10:00:16 AM PDT by Ready4Freddy ("It's not the number of burnt cars that worries me. It's the fact that everyone finds this normal..")
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To: null and void
Just because you are too young to remember it doesn't mean it didn't happen...

And just because you are too old to realize that the last time Russian diplomats were kidnapped and killed was in 2006, it means that the tactic employed in the 1980's didn't work as well as you think.

59 posted on 05/05/2010 10:00:22 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: 1rudeboy
The lesson, sadly, seems to need repeating periodically. In this case Russian diplomats were off limits for 24 years.

Not a bad ROI on the cost of a Glad Bag.

60 posted on 05/05/2010 10:13:23 AM PDT by null and void (We are now in day 468 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
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